Rights revoked: ‘Good Body’ closes Sunday

Due to what its producer is calling “an unfortunate licensing error,” the Aurora Fox’s current production of “The Good Body” must close two weeks early, on Sunday, Sept. 27.

Mare Trevathan plays everyone from Eve Ensler to Helen Gurley Brown to a 74-year-old African to a Puerto Rican – for two more performances, anyway – in “The Good Body.”

The final two performances will be at 7:30 p.m. today (Saturday, Sept. 26), and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, in The Aurora Fox Studio Theatre, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. Here is our review of the play, which was to have closed Oct. 11.

“The Good Body” was written as a one-woman play by Eve Ensler (“The Vagina Monologues”), and is being performed in Aurora by Mare Trevathan, who starred in an earlier run of the show for the producing theater, the Lake Dillon Theatre Company.

Though most people know “The Good Body” as a one-woman show from Ensler’s starring performance on Broadway, she has since rewritten her script into a three-actor show.

So when Lake Dillon performing-arts director Christopher Alleman originally purchased the rights to perform the play, he failed to notice a brief addendum stipulating that the show must now be performed with three actresses. The original version had been pulled from all future licensing.

But Trevathan was given the one-woman version of the script to memorize, and the Lake Dillon production went on to such audience and critical praise that this second run in Aurora was scheduled, with everyone involved unaware that they were not in compliance with its contract with Creative Artists Agency.

“It was an honest mistake,” Trevathan said. “And I have to respect Eve’s decision because it was artistically fueled. I’d feel much worse if she saw this particular show and then decided to shut us down,” she added with a laugh.

Said Alleman: “Ms. Ensler has graciously agreed to allow (us) one final weekend of performances with the original script.” Added Trevathan: “I am grateful for these last two shows.”

Because Lake Dillon used the Aurora Fox’s ticketing services for this show, The Aurora Fox will be giving refunds through their system to those who made advance reservations beyond this weekend.

As a courtesy, The Fox will offer those patrons complimentary tickets to Vintage Theatre Company’s production of “Fat Pig,” which opens Oct. 17, also in The Fox Studio Theatre.

Alleman has no plans to remount “The Good Body” as a three-person show. “So this is your last chance to see ‘The Good Body’ as it was originally performed on Broadway,” he said.

“The Good Body” is Ensler’s 2006 follow-up to “The Vagina Monologues.” It, too, is based on hundreds of interviews with women around the world. But this time, she shaped her play into an 85-minute monologue in which Ensler herself is the central character (among many). She leads the audience in a personal, warm conversation about our insidiously ingrained American notions of female beauty.

To make reservations for the final two performances, call 303-739-1970, go to www.aurorafox.orgor purchase tickets at the door.